Perfect Storm
by CriminalOutsider'sGirl14
Summary: Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)
1. Chapter 1

**Round Table**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **WARNING : _Some things may be triggering. Mentions of mental illness, abuse, eating disorders and possibly other things._**

 **(Early September, irst day of school)**

Emily Prentiss hated school.

She always had. Her mother expected perfect grades, a perfect record, perfect attendance, perfect everything out of her daughter. Instead, she got rebellious Emily Prentiss who wore black skinny jeans, ran with boys like Ian Doyle, and skipped more school than she actually attended with a detention record worth bragging about. The only grounded people she had in her life were her tight-knit group of friends who did not share her hatred of school.

Take Spencer Reid. He was fourteen, a Junior, and bored in his honors classes. Bored! Despite what a great cheat sheet he made, he had no friends outside of the group. But Emily loved him to death. They all did.

There was also Derek, Reid's best friend and one of the oldest in their grade since he got suspended his Freshman year. He didn't talk about Chicago, where he was from. No one knew why he got suspended or what happened there, but she assumed it was bad.

"Decided to actually show up today, huh, Ms. Prentiss?" Principal Strauss greeted her tersely. Emily scowled and flipped her the bird behind her back. Emily's best friend JJ suddenly appeared, grabbing her arm. JJ always seemed to appear and wrangle Emily under control.

"We have first hour Geometry with Penelope," JJ told Emily.

"Ew, math. Do you know what sounds better? The mall. Or getting my eyes poked out with a hot stick. Or like anything else."

"Don't be so melodramatic," JJ lectured with a roll of her eyes.

"Jayje, Em! So this morning I was eating and then I stepped on a frosted flake this morning, and that's how I became a cereal killer," Penelope laughed, causing her to snort, but she quieted down when Mr. Lee walked in. Mr. Lee was a dark-haired, boring teacher in Emily's opinion. She counted down the hours until lunch, and then the end of the day.

Lucky for everyone, the seven friends had the same B lunch. Hotch was there first, along with Rossi, the two seniors of the group. Spencer showed up last, sporting a fresh bruise on his cheek.

"Was it Jacobs, again?" Derek asked, examining the bruise.

"It's fine," Spencer assured him, not meeting his eyes. Derek was still smoldering, but he let it drop. For now.

"You gonna eat, Jayje?" Penelope nudged the blonde.

"Not this school's food," she shuddered. Spencer offered her half of his sandwich, but she quickly declined his offer.

"So there's a party at Joe's house. Who's coming?" Rossi asked.

"Me," Emily promised.

"Duh," Garcia proclaimed.

"You know it," Derek declared.

"Sure, I'll be there," Hotch said.

"Fine," JJ relented, seeing everybody begin to join. Everybody looked at Spencer.

"No," he declared.

"Please," Penelope begged.

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please!"

"Fine."

"Really?"

"No."

"Spence!" JJ pouted. She was with Penelope on this, she wanted him to come. If she had to, he had to.

"I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?" Spencer groaned. He was so not looking forward to this.

"Yes!" Garcia squealed excitedly.

 **A/n: I am really excited about this. I have so much planned and this is just the beginning. Please tell me what you thought!**

 **Aufenthalt Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	2. Chapter 2: Here

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

Summary **:** _Seven_ _odd friends just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(Early September, 2015)**

On Friday everybody planned to meet behind the school. Derek got out of class early and got back there quicker than everyone else. He heard crying in the distance and he took off when he realized it was Penelope.

"Hey, baby girl." She was just laying on the concrete, tears streaming down her face. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she mumbled. "They jumped me. Hankel and then. Called me a slut. Said I was screwing you and I have a STD and-"

"It's okay. You don't have to talk," Derek assured her softly. She nodded, trying to fight back the tears. Hotch was the next person to show up and Derek jumped up when he saw him.

"Hotch we gotta do something. Hankel and his his boys are jumping the girls now," Morgan seethed.

"I know. But this isn't Chicago, Derek. We can just call a street rumble or anything," Hotch told him.

"Yeah well next time, when it's JJ or Emily, I'll know who to blame and what we can and can't do," Derek stalked off angrily, clenching his fists. The rest of the group started to show up, and Spencer wanted to go after him, but Hotch stopped him.

"Just let him go," he ordered.

 **—**

Saturday night rolled around quickly. Derek and Hotch weren't mad anymore, but they hadn't talked much and things were slightly tense. Emily had disappeared with Ian and Derek was dancing with a really pretty blue-eyed brunette. Spencer was being the ultimate wallflower, looking as if he wanted to disappear. Even Hotch and Rossi had taken off with two girls. JJ was with some guy named Will. Spencer had no idea where Penelope was. He was alone, sitting in the back of the room.

"Spencer!"

He found Penelope. She stumbled towards him, her face spread in a grin.

"Penelope, are you drunk?" Spencer groaned.

"Maybeeee. Have you seen Derek?"

Spencer pointed to where Derek was. She stumbled towards him, but she tripped over her heels and almost fell on her face. He heard her mumble something about being sick and Derek helped her up, only to quickly usher her outside to where she vomited. Spencer followed them out, along with JJ who had reappeared.

"Pen," JJ was holding back Penelope's hair. "How much did you have?"

"I don't know. Maybe only three or four? My mom is so going to kill me," she groaned, leaning against the wall of the house for support. Derek left to tell Hotch, Rossi, and Emily that they were leaving. Everyone was ready to leave, so the seven drove home together.

"You are so hot, Derek," Penelope mumbled. Derek couldn't help but laugh.

"Tell me how you feel when you sober up," he told her.

"Mm... Okay," Penelope agreed. Derek smiled at her. Who would have thought that Penelope Garcia would be such a lightweight?

 **A/n: I was so worried that no one was going to read this story, so thank you guys so much!**

 **Haleypadilla229: Here is your update. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Jayjrat: Thank you! :)**

 **Snoochie76: I'm actually not sure yet besides Ian Doyle/Emily Prentiss. I might pair Morgan up with someone. What kind of pairings do you want to see?**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	3. Chapter 3: Fry War

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

Summary **:** _Seven_ _odd friends just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(Early September, 2015)**

"I am so hungover," Penelope groaned. Emily laughed.

"That's your own fault," Spencer pointed out.

"Screw you, Spencer," Penelope mumbled, sticking her tongue out at Spencer when he turned his back.

"Why don't we among by Dairy Queen and grab some lunch," Derek suggested.

"Ew. Don't mention food," Penelope muttered.

They pulled into the local Dairy Queen and walked inside. Spencer, Derek, and Emily ordered lunch, but when it came around to JJ she declined.

"Just a water," she told the cashier. Derek shot her a look.

"I'm not hungry," she told him. "I have a big game this week. I never really eat because I get so nervous."

Derek shook his head, letting it slide. He was able to push it into the back of his mind and started throwing straw wrappers at Reid until he retaliated and threw one of his own fries at him.

"This is war, Spencer!" Derek challenged, laughing. Emily reached across the table and flicked Spencer in the head.

"You've been shot," she deadpanned.

 **—**

"Twenty-one, twenty-two," JJ counted quietly to herself the number of step jumps she did. Her coach had told the girls to do fifty before running around the gym. JJ counted her thirty-second step jump when she felt her foot slip. She heard a cracking noise when her foot hit the ground and she crumpled, biting her tongue. She knew immediately that it had broke.

"Jennifer?" Her coach rushed up beside her. "Can you stand?"

She tried to stand up, but the minute her foot moved she made an involuntary noise of pain.

"You need a hospital," Coach Flick said. JJ shook her head.

"My friend Emily stayed after school with me today. Can she take me? My mom's at work."

"... Call your mom," Coach Flick told her. JJ pretended to, but instead called Emily to come help her. Emily showed up within minutes, along with Penelope.

"Oh my gosh, JJ," Penelope murmured. JJ used the two as makeshift crutches as she hobbled to Emily's car.

"What did you do?" Emily asked from the driver's seat of her car.

"Tripped doing my step jumps," JJ told her.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why exercise is in fact bad for your health," Penelope said. Emily shook her head in amusement.

 **—**

Over six hours later, JJ was examined, X-rayed, and casted with a neon green cast that Penelope quickly signed with lots of hearts and flowers. Emily signed as well with just her name near the back of the cast with a black sharpie. She had already texted her mom and told her what happened. Her mom arrived to sign her out and took her home.

JJ didn't speak on the way home. Everything she had worked for this season was down the drain. Her cast wouldn't be off of her right ankle until right before the season was over. She mine as well kiss her chances of getting a scholarship goodbye.

 **Guest (1): I was thinking about doing them. I'm pretty sure I will now. Thank you!**

 **Iron Rose Writer: Thank you! I was worried that maybe he was way out of character, but I think that in high school he was probably much angrier than he is now in the show.**

 **Liasonfan75: Already planning on it! :) Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Sharkstorm: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed. :)**

 **Jayjrat: I think I am going to do JJ/Derek, I'm sorry! Thank you for reading and reviewing! ㈏4**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	4. Chapter 4: Memory

**This Means War**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

Summary **:** _Seven_ _odd friends just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(Mid-September, 2015)**

"I don't like the way that you stare at that Andrew kid, Emily," Ian growled, tightening his grip on her arm.

 _His name is Aaron, Ian, not Andrew..._

"I wasn't staring at anyone, Ian. You know that I love you," Emily assured him.

"Don't give me that. You're lying," Ian accused through clenched teeth.

"I'm not, Ian. I promise. I love you and only you."

"I love you too, Emily," Ian kissed her. "Just don't do it again."

"I won't," she promised softly. He let go of her arm and pushed her away from him. She rushed off towards her class where JJ waited for her, but she felt his eyes on her the entire time. She shrugged her jacket over her shoulders to hide the bruises he had inflicted upon her.

 **—**

Penelope helped JJ carry her books and binder while she hobbled around on crutches. JJ's arms were so tired by the end of the day, and she hoped that the exercise was making her lose weight. She was a few minutes late to lunch, but when she heard Spencer she knew she hasn't missed much.

"Couples who get married right out of high school only have a 54% chance of staying together for ten years."

"Do I even want to know how this conversation started?" Penelope asked as she sat down.

"Nope," Derek said. JJ pulled her chair out to sit down, but she started getting dizzy all of a sudden. She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the dizziness, but she felt her body swaying slightly. She gripped the table for support.

"JJ?" More than one person called her name, but she wasn't focusing enough to identify who was talking.

"I'm good," she said assuringly once the dizziness passed, reopening her eyes and sitting down. "I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy. I forgot to eat this morning."

Spencer got up and JJ wondered if she had said something to upset him. He returned minutes later with a candy bar, a water, and a chicken sandwich.

"Eat."

"I'm fine, Spence," she assured him. He silently pushed the food closer to her. She sighed softly to herself and took a tentative sip of the water. She could feel the calories in the pit of her stomach as she nibbled on the bun of the sandwich. She felt like puking. Her friends' conversations didn't even register. It was just her and the food.

"Do you want me to walk you home tonight?" Spencer asked, snapping her attention back to reality. Hotch had instructed the group the previous day never to walk alone. Not while Hankle and his friends around.

"Actually, yeah. That'd be great," JJ thanked him.

"Meet me outside the main gym, okay?"

"Alright," she agreed. She was the last to leave the cafeteria out of her group of friends and when she did leave she threw away the remainder of the sandwich. She couldn't choke it down. She escaped to the bathroom and sat down in front of the toilet.

 _"You disgust me. You deserve it. Do it!"_ The voice in her head told her.

Shakily, she stuck two fingers down her throat before her lunch came rushing up. She flushed the evidence down the toilet and washed her hands clean of her sins. She avoided her reflection in the mirror as she rinsed her mouth out. She was late to sixth period, but no one suspected a thing. She just told the teacher she wasn't feeling well, which technically wasn't a lie. Mr. Adams didn't even notice or react to her tardiness. Just like everyone else. No one even noticed that she was slowly falling apart by her own hand.

 **A/n: If anybody has any suggestions or requests please send them in. I do my absolute best to include everyone's ideas in my stories. Thanks so much guys!**

 **Liasonfan75: Oh no problem! Thank you! :)**

 **Guest (1): Thank you so much!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	5. Chapter 5: Suicide

**This Means War**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

Summary **:** _Seven_ _odd friends just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(September 15th, 2015)**

At the end of the day, Spencer was outside the gym as promised. He even carried JJ's backpack for her all the way to his car. She couldn't help but think of how much of a gentlemen he was being. As JJ walked and stared at their rundown neighborhood and she couldn't help but think of her sister and what she had told her.

 _"Watch me, Jen. I'm gonna get out of this town. I'm gonna be something great."_

"Do you think it was my fault?" She whispered more to herself than to Spencer. She actually hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"What?"

"... My sister's suicide. Was it my fault?" She asked.

"Not. At. All," Spencer assured her forcefully. "That was her decision. What makes you say that?"

"We fought that day. I stole one of her favorite skirts to play dress up. She was furious and we screamed at each other until she locked herself in her room all day. That night, she was still so mad that when we went out to the movies she stayed home. When I got back, I found her in the tub. I-I've always wondered if we didn't fight... if she would still be here," JJ explained, tears slipping down her cheeks at the memory. She focused on trying to steady her breathing. This was _not_ the time to start hyperventilating. The picture of her sister covered in blood would always stay in JJ's mind.

"You were eleven, JJ. It wasn't your fault at all. Don't _ever_ say that," Spencer assured her. "Promise."

 _But it was_ , she told herself.

"Okay," she whispered unconvincingly. They reached her house, but she didn't go inside. She could tell that Spencer wanted to say something more. He was staring at his hands like he always did when he was nervous. _Clench. Unclench. Clench._

"Uh, JJ," he started nervously. "I really, really like you."

Her breath caught in her throat. Spencer liked her? Was this some kind of joke? But the look in his eyes was so serious that she knew he was for real.

"I like you too," she told him. And she did. She thought maybe she always had.

"Will-will you go out with me?" He asked, looking down again. But he was smiling.

"I'd love too," she said. "See you tomorrow."

"Seven?" He asked. She nodded. She couldn't believe that Spencer Reid just asked her out.

 **—**

The high and excitement from getting asked out didn't last very long for JJ. As soon as she got home she measured her waist in the bathroom. Twenty-eight whole inches. She was sick with herself.

 _Nothing but water until you make it under 100 pounds,_ she told herself, glaring at her fat stomach. Why would somebody as smart and wonderful as Spencer pick her? She was fat, ugly, stupid, and worthless. She didn't deserve a boyfriend like him.

 **A/n: Please review with any criticism, ideas, or kind words. :)**

 **Haleypadilla229: Thank you so much! Im glad to hear that, I always strive to.**

 **Liasonfan75: Thank you. :)**

 **Snoochie76: Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

 **Guest (1): I know, but I already have her with Ian so I did JJ/Derek. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **White collar black wolf: Thank you!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	6. Chapter 6: Call JJ

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(August 15th, 2015)**

"Six minutes."

"Spencer!" Emily breathed out smoke. "You scared me."

"It's been months. You were doing so good."

"I know. I just can't take my mom anymore."

"Yeah," Spencer's voice held a slightest edge.

"Oh, Spencer, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. Come on, let's get back to class."

Emily angrily stomped out her cigarette and followed him back into the school. She wasn't angry at Spencer, she was angry at herself. Mr. Helton glared at Spencer and Emily when they walked in.

"Miss Prentiss, you are one mistake away from a detention. Don't push it. And where were you, Mr. Reid?"

"Locker wouldn't open," Spencer lied.

"I was just helping him," Emily said innocently.

"Sure. Moving on," Mr. Helton said, directing his attention back to the lesson at hand. Emily and Spencer shared a laugh. They couldn't believe he just let them go.

 **—**

Spencer kicked a rock as he walked down the road towards his house. He wanted to get home quick before him and JJ went out that night. He kept glancing over his shoulder, but nothing was there. He quickened his pace.

 _Calm down, Spencer,_ he lectured himself.

He heard footsteps behind him and finally saw Hankle and his gang trailing him a few yards back. He could feel the sweat running down his back nervously. Spencer tried to run but he got tackled to the ground. Rocks scrapes his face, and Hankle pulled him up by his shirt before punching him right in the eye. He stumbled back. He tried to fight back, but two of the other guys held him back, threw him to the ground, and kicked him in the ribs repeatedly.

"You tell your little 'friends' about this, and it'll be them next," Hankle threatened before plunging a knife straight into Spencer's stomach. The boys scattered, running and leaving him there struggling to breathe.

The pain was nothing like Spencer had ever thought it was. As he laid there, statistics of how long it would take him to bleed out danced in his mind. Did anything important get hit? There was so much blood, he could even see where. The burning pain was all he could think about.

His eyes almost slipped shut when he heard a voice calling his name. The voice sounded familiar and terrified. Spencer didn't have the strength to even open his eyes, but he was able to push through the darkness enough to mumble, "don't tell my mom," before everything turned completely black.

 **—**

Derek was jamming to rock music when his phone rang. It was Emily. Confused, he answered.

"Hey, Emily, what's-"

"It's Spencer," her voice was shaking.

"What happened?" He sat up straighter. _No, let the kid be okay..._

"Call JJ. I'm at the hospital. He's been stabbed."

 ** _IMPORTANT: I CHANGED CHAPTERS 3 AND 4. The pairing is now JJ/Reid._**

 **Guest (1): I changed it now to JJ/Reid.**

 **Kateryne1: I decided to make it JJ/Spencer so there's more Reid.**

 **Mossnose173: I just went back and changed the chapter, hopefully it's better I took your suggestion in mind. Thank you! :)**

 **Liasonfan75: Thank you so much for reviewing. Maybe.**

 **White collar black wolf: Thank you.**

 **Snoochie76: Thanks love!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	7. Chapter 7: Doctor

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **"Without law, there can be no freedom." - John Locke**

 **(August 16th, 2015)**

 _"Hey, Emily, what's-"_

 _"It's Spencer," her voice was shaking._

 _"What happened?" He sat up straighter._ No, please, just let the kid be alright...

 _"Call JJ. I'm at the hospital. He's been stabbed."_

 **—**

 _"...His blood pressure is dropping..."_

 _"...Lots of blood loss. Get me an IV..."_

 _Beeeeep..._

 _"We don't have a heart beat. Get the defibrillator ready. Clear!"_

 _"Hang in there, kid. You gotta fight for me."_

 _"We got a heartbeat!"_

 **—**

Morgan rushed through the hospital doors in a blind hurry. The only thing running through his head was Spencer. He saw that JJ and Emily were already sitting in the waiting room chairs. His head was going a hundred miles per hour. What had happened?

"Family of Spencer Reid?" A middle-aged doctor asked. Morgan was studying the dark-haired girl's face for any signs of Spencer's condition.

"How is he?" Emily asked.

"Another half a millimeter and the knife could have penetrated any number of vital organs. Whoever did this was aiming for the center of mass. He lost a lot of blood. Along with the stab wound he received, he has a few broken ribs and several lacerations, bruises, and even a black eye."

"But he's alive?" Morgan interrupted.

"I expect him to make a full recovery as long as infection doesn't set in. We'll be monitoring him for sign of an early infection."

"Thank you," JJ breathed, repeat flooding her system. The doctor smiled kindly.

"He is in room 437. Don't overwhelm him when he wakes, he's going to he exhausted. He won't wake up for a probably an hour, we have him sedated, but he should be awake soon. You can see him if you want."

"Thank you," JJ said again. The three teenagers quickly located Spencer's room at the end of the closest hall.

JJ was almost scared to enter. He looked so young and vulnerable. Besides the size reminder that she got, JJ almost forgot that Spencer was just barely fourteen years old. He acted so much older with his brains, but he was so vulnerable emotionally and physically.

Emily grabbed JJ's hand reassuringly and guided her gently into a room. JJ started sobbing once she got in there and saw him. He looked so bad. His eye was purple and swollen, his face was almost as pale as her sister's was that day she died, and the machines around him held more life than he displayed at that moment. Emily lead her to a chair and helped her sit down. Eventually, she dried her tears and just held Spencer's hand silently. A little over an hour after they had talked to the doctor, JJ felt Spencer's hand twitch.

"Kid?" Morgan questioned. Spencer's finger twitched again. Almost inaudibly, Spencer moaned.

"Mmmm..." Spencer groaned tiredly. "Hurts."

"I'll get a nurse," Emily offered. But before Emily could leave the room Spencer passed out again.

 **Iron Rose Writer: It's Criminal Minds, and my story was rated T. Thank you for your review.**

 **Mossnose173: Thank you so much! I like this pairing better too.**

 **TinyHandz: I'm glad I shocked you! That's what I hoped everyone's reaction was. Thank you so much for reviewing.**

 **Kateryne1: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you.**

 **Snoochie76: I'm not sure yet. And thank you.**

 **Guest (1): I really don't know. I don't want to overpower this story with romance and pairings, so we'll see. Thank you so much for taking the time to review!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	8. Chapter 8: Daddy

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **"Without law, there can be no freedom." - John Locke**

 **(August 16th, 2015)**

"Ma'am, if you come with me I can take you to your son," Doctor Hernandez explained, touching her gently.

"What have you done with him!" Diane screamed accusingly.

"Ma'am, please calm down. He is right this way."

"Don't you tell me what to do."

Diane wanted to get her son out of that hospital immediately, but Spencer eventually calmed her down enough to explain that the doctors, nurses, and machines were helping not hindering. She was still not happy though, but she remained at Spencer's bedside that whole day staring off into space despite her discomfort.

She was just concerned, Spencer had rationalized her behavior to the doctors. He knew he was lucky to have a mom like her. Despite her flaws and illness, he loved her dearly.

Spencer had his eyes closed when his mom came in again.

"Spencer," Diane started, getting his attention. She then paused as if she was gathering strength before delivering the news. "Your father is back. He wants you to live with him."

Spencer stared at her, almost not comprehending. His father

hadn't shown up for almost five years. Why was he back now? The probability of his father returning after this amount of time was low.

"He wants to admit me. I can't take care of you anymore, Spencer. Just look at you. I failed you as a mother."

Spencer had never heard his mom talk like that.

"No, you didn't. I don't want to live with him," Spencer begged.

"I'm so sorry, Spencer," Diane apologized truthfully.

 **—**

His mother had left hours ago and hasn't returned. He hasn't told any of his friends. He knew his father lived in Las Vegas. Would he have to move there?

"How you feeling, Spence?" JJ asked as she came into the room. The boy winced.

"Okay, as long as I don't breathe," he answer sarcastically, smiling slightly. JJ shook her head. Leave it to her to cheer him up.

"Smart mouth."

"And proud of it."

She playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

"Emily wanted to tell you to get well soon. She wanted to come, but she's sick. She misses you," JJ told him.

"Is she okay?" Spencer asked worriedly. _She probably wore herself out worrying over me_ , he thought guiltily.

"Yeah, she didn't give many details. She sounded really tired over the phone. I'll probably go see her tonight and see how she feels," JJ said. "Her parents are away again."

Spencer had known Emily the longest out of everyone in his group of friends. They had been best friends since Emily had moved to Quantico in Elementary School. In those years, he couldn't remember a time her parents were actually there for her.

"Don't wear yourself out, JJ," Spencer reminded her, breaking out of his thoughts.

"I know. Don't worry about me, I'm probably gonna take off. I love you." The words easily rolled off her tongue, but she meant them.

"I love you, too," Spencer said.

 **Ahowell1993: Already planned on a scene with his mother. Why would they? Mothers do crazy things in time of grief so it wouldn't be unnatural for her to freak out. Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Iron Rose Writer: It did not offend me at all. Thank you for your review, I want to know everyone's opinion.**

 **Kateryne1: Lol. I haven't planned that part out yet. Here is your update!**

 **Everafter101: I'm not really sure yet. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **White collar black wolf: Thank you so much.**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	9. Chapter 9: Emily

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(September 16th, 2015)**

On her way to Emily's house, JJ swung by McDonald's to grab something to drink. She had to force herself just to swallow the water she bought. Her stomach was a bundle of nerves between worrying about Spencer and Emily. Something about Emily didn't fit. She didn't sound right on the phone. She rarely got sick, never like this.

She told herself that it was just the flu, and her anxiety wanted to tell her it was more.

JJ also ordered a medium Sprite in case Emily was feeling up to at least something to drink to stay hydrated.

"How you feeling?" JJ asked once Emily let her inside.

"A little better than this morning," Emily admitted, though her hands were wrapped around her stomach in pain. JJ felt Emily's forehead and came back with no fever.

"Geez, JJ, don't look so worried. I'm fine, I promise," Emily assured her. "You know, you're are gonna be a really great mom someday."

"Me?" JJ laughed, but the comment made her feel good. She wanted a family when she was older really bad.

"How's Spencer?" Emily asked quietly after a moment.

"Physically, he should be out of the hospital in a day or two. But something seemed off when I was there. I don't know what it was though," JJ said worriedly. "He seemed upset and reserved."

"You look exhausted," Emily commented sympathetically. "Stop worrying. Spencer is gonna be fine. He'd tell you if something was wrong."

JJ didn't want to tell Emily that she was worrying about her as well. Plus, adding to her anxiety, her sister's birthday was coming up. She would have been twenty-two.

"I know," JJ tried to appease her, but she was still worried. "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"

JJ had skipped school yesterday and today to be with Spencer. Each member of the group had stopped by at some point, some cutting class, but none as much as JJ.

"If I wake up feeling okay, then I'll be there tomorrow," Emily said indifferently. She could care less if she went to school or not tomorrow.

After talking for another twenty minutes, JJ told Emily to feel better and she left. She was so exhausted that the minute her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

 **—**

Emily woke up the next morning feeling terrible again. Her stomach hurt, her head hurt, and she was so tired.

She reached behind her pillow and grabbed her cellphone. The bright screen made her eyes and head hurt worse. She quickly texted JJ that she wouldn't be at school today and then closed her eyes. Her phone vibrated loudly next to her and she groaned in pain.

" _Need me to come over_ **?"** JJ had texted.

 **" _No, I'm okay_ ,"**Emily responded.

 **"** _Kk. I'll be at Spencer's if you need me. He gets released today_ **! :)"**

Emily smiled, happy Spencer was better, but didn't respond. She closed her eyes to relieve the pain and quickly fell asleep, despite her discomfort.

 **Ahowell1993: Should be in the next chapter. I wanted to check in on Emily for this chapter. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	10. Chapter 10: William Reid

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(September 17th, 2015)**

JJ called Emily on her cell from the car outside the hospital.

"You'll never guess who I just told to go to hell."

"Oh boy," Emily laughed. "Must be pretty bad to get you cussing. I don't know, tell me."

"One Mr. William Reid."

Emily almost dropped the phone. She wanted to cuss him out too. She had always been really protective of Spencer. "What?"

"Yeah. Hey, can I come over?"

"Sure. Do you mind grabbing me a cheeseburger? It sounds so good."

"You feeling better?"

"Yeah. Musta been a forty-eight hour bug."

"Just ketchup and cheese, right?" JJ asked.

"No," Emily scrunched her nose up. "No ketchup."

"You love ketchup," JJ was puzzled.

"Not now. See you in a few," Emily said. The two girls said their goodbyes and hung up.

 **—**

"The discharge papers are all taken care of," William Reid told his son. Spencer stared straight ahead, not reacting to or even looking at his father. His stomach burned. He had refused any morphine because he hate the way it made him feel. He was sick of sleeping constantly.

"Come on, Spence, don't give me that look. Your mother is ill. She needs help."

"Don't call me 'Spence,'" Spencer growled. "Ever. Again."

"Let's go," William ignored his son's angry demeanor.

—

Emily held her fate in her hands, literally. She had gone through this before. About four months ago, she had food poisoning after eating a gas station hot dog (bad decision) with Ian. After having sex with Ian that night and being sick the next day, she had bought four of those little tests. She only used two, both coming back negative. Now, again holding one of the strips in her hand, she was terrified. She didn't even want to look at its results.

Exactly three weeks ago she had Ian over while her parents were away and she had sex with him. One little choice could have such devastating consequences. She was terrified to know what the test said.

JJ's knock at the door broke her pessimistic thoughts. She opened the door slowly, revealing her best friend. Emily started crying, the stick still clutched in her first. She was too scared to look at it.

"Jayje... I think I'm pregnant."

"Emily," JJ led her gently to the couch. "Do you want me to look at it?"

Emily nodded through her tears. JJ gently removed the test from her clenched hand.

"Is this the only one?" JJ asked, looking down at the pink strip.

"There's another unused in the bathroom," Emily sniffed.

"Can you take that one too?" JJ questioned.

"What does this one say?" Emily asked cautiously, slowly pronouncing her words. She tried to prepare herself for the outcome, but she couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Em," JJ said. "It's positive."

 **Ahowell1993: I seriously considered having Spencer move away. But I decided against it. Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Kateryne1: You are correct! I can't believe you guessed it (Well, I can, it was pretty obvious.) Yeah, I know, but he's not here because he "changed." He wanted to lock up Diane, and Spencer getting stabbed was the perfect excuse once he heard about it. He sees her unfit. Hope you keep reading. ㈎9**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	11. AN: Names

**A/n: Can you guys please PM or review name suggestions. I'll put up a poll on Saturday night and see what name wins. Thanks guys!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Deal

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(September 17th, 2015)**

Emily buried her head in her hands. Her parents were going to be kicked out of the house, leaving the young girl with nowhere to go. What was she going to do?

"I don't know what to do," Emily mumbled. JJ rubbed her friend's back comfortingly.

"It'll be okay, Emily. You have us. We'll get you through this. Do you plan on telling Ian?"

"No," Emily quickly wiped her eyes, embarrassed. "He broke up with me a few days ago. He won't stick around to raise a kid."

"How far along are you?" JJ asked.

"Three weeks exactly," Emily told her. This couldn't be real. Her brain started swirling into unhelpful denial before she told herself this was real. She better come up with a plan before she started showing.

"Can you call Hotch?" Emily asked finally. "Please, JJ, he'll know what to do."

 **—**

Hotch showed up within fifteen minutes of JJ calling him. Emily had managed to compose herself mostly by time he got there.

"What are you gonna do?" Hotch asked softly, his usually stern expression replaced by a slightly softer, caring one.

Emily's response was cut off by a knock at the door. When she looked through the peephole, she saw it was Penelope.

"I heard somebody needed cupcakes."

How she knew, Emily would never know. Or how she made cupcakes that quick. P just had her ways.

Emily shook her head, fighting back another wave of emotion. She had the best friends in the world.

Penelope handed Emily a vanilla bean cupcake with thick chocolate frosting covered in sparkly sprinkles. Tentatively, she stuck her finger in the frosting and licked it. Emily turned to face her three friends.

"I'm really screwed, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are," Hotch answered unsympathetically.

"What do I do?"

"You need to think about all of your options," Hotch said.

"I can get the number of my mom's old OB/GYN," JJ volunteered supportively.

Emily started shaking, the full reality of her situation settling in at last. _I'm really pregnant, aren't I_? She thought. She just wanted to be alone and pretend that none of this ever happened.

 **(Flashback)**

 _A chill ran through her body. She felt his presence behind her before she heard his voice. His hands wrapped around her waist tightly._

 _"Hey, babe."_

 _She shuddered, pushing his hands off._

 _"Listen, Hankel-"_

 _"No," he stopped her, his voice eerily calm and callous. "You listen. I have a little deal. Meet me outside the bar on 5th street Saturday night and I won't hurt your little friends anymore."_

 _"Why would I help you?" The girl challenged defiantly._

 _"Because of you don't, I'll hurt them. I could have killed the little one, easy, but I didn't. So, are you gonna do it?"_

 _She was so afraid. No one threatened her family without her doing something about it. She flinched away when he tried to touch her again. He grabbed a strand of her blonde hair and twisted it between his fingers. He pulled on it hard, causing her to make a small, quick yelp of pain._

 _"Do it."_

 _"Okay, okay, I will," she answered in a fake self-assured tone. "Just please don't hurt my friends."_

 **A/n: I posted the name poll! Please check it out when you guys get the chance. Who made the deal?**

 **TinyHandz: I'm trying to focus on a certain character for a few chapters, then another, etc.. I'm trying to fit in all characters though. Thank you so much for your review. And** **thank you again for your name suggestions.**

 **Kateryne1: Don't worry. I have plans on why he returned. Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Jenny crum: Thank you so much! ㈏8❣**

 **Drake305: Thank you so very much for suggesting names!**

 **EverAfter101: Thank you! Beautiful name.**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	13. Chapter 13: JJ

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **WARNING: MENTIONS OF NON GRAPHIC RAPE!**

 **(September 17th, 2015)**

JJ stood outside the 5th street bar anxiously. Her foot tapped as she scanned the mostly stoned faces going in and out of the bar. She could see her breath (it was 34 degrees out in the middle of September, wonderful, right?) when she exhaled. The cold wind chilled her as it blew, ruffling her jacket.

She heard a chilling voice behind her, making her jump. Hankel always seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Hello, Jennifer. Long time no see."

She struggled when he put his arm around her shoulders tightly. He placed one hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming and used the other to pull her shirt off over her head.

"Remember our deal," he grinned eerily.

 **—**

 _Knock, Knock._

Penelope almost screamed when she heard a noise outside her shut window. It was dark out so she couldn't see who it was.

"Penelope, it's me. Emily," a voice hissed. Penelope quickly opened her window once the shock wore off.

"I hate you," she said bluntly. "I thought I was going to _die!_ "

"Sorry," Emily apologized. "I told my parents."

Penelope's face softened. "What did they say?"

Emily's voice started to choke up. "They said that I'm a disgrace to the family. They're gonna disown me if I don't get an abortion. My dad said he couldn't even look at me, so I snuck out my bedroom window."

"I'm sorry," Penelope murmured sympathetically. "You're gonna be okay."

"Stop saying that," Emily snapped tiredly. "I can't take your blind optimism. My life is over."

"Don't be melodramatic, love," Penelope soothed her. "I know your scared, but you'll survive. I promise, Em. We are going to be here for you."

"Thanks," Emily whispered, suddenly feeling much better. Tomorrow she was going to actually handle this maturely. She was going to make an appointment at the OB-GYN. She would stop skipping school. She needed to start making decisions for the better of herself and the child growing in her stomach.

 **(Next Day)**

Derek was walking down the street when his phone rang. Penelope's face flashed across the screen.

"Hey, Baby Girl. What's happenin'?" He greeted nonchalantly.

"Emily's at my house and we can't get a hold of JJ. We all gotta talk, Derek, and she won't answer. What's going on with her? I'm worried."

"Penelope, I'm near her house. I'll go check on her if you want. I'm sure she's okay." A car engine caught Derek's attention. He saw some familiar faces inside including Chad, Hankel, and the rest of the monkeys.

"I gotta go, Baby Girl. I gotta take care of something. Hankel just showed up."

"Derek? Derek?" She called anxiously, but he had already hung up.

 **Blackbirdjeid: Correct! Thank you!**

 **Kensi jj: Don't worry, I have a scene written up for him very soon.**

 **Jenny crum: Thank you so much!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	14. Chapter 14: Change

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(September 18th, 2015)**

 **"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."**

 **\- Mark Twain**

 _"I gotta go, Baby Girl. I gotta take care of something. Hankel just showed up."_

 _"Derek? Derek?" She called anxiously, but he had already hung up_.

Nobody talked to Derek the rest of the day. Nobody saw JJ either. The next day at school Derek was there sporting a black eye, but no one asked. They all knew and didn't want to set him off. He was angry all day, fists clenched and eyes wandering the halls looking for a certain group of people.

At lunch Emily decided she had to tell everyone about the baby. Her OB-GYN appointment was in just a few days.

She didn't know what to say. It's not like she has ever told them she was pregnant before. She had never done something like that. She obsessed over it all day.

Finally, she realized she just had to tell them and hope for the best. They were her friends and they would stick by her. Right?

She didn't buy anything once lunch rolled around. She absentmindedly played with a piece of loose hair in her lap until everyone was seated at the table.

"Hey, guys?" Her voice was small. Penelope looked up from her lunch and nodded silently to her encouragingly.

"I have something to say. It's not easy but I'm just gonna say it. I'm pregnant."

Derek was the first one to react. He stood up to look for Doyle. He was angry at first, but upon noticing Emily's scared expression, he toned it down.

"You'll get through this, Em," Derek assured her.

"Thanks," Emily whispered. A moment of silence passed before Penelope spoke up.

"I have some news too," she looked at Derek and smiled. "Derek and I are dating!"

"Penelope, that's amazing," Emily congratulated her. She was happier than she had been in a long time.

Today was a day of change, of new beginnings. Emily watched her friends all together supporting each other, and knew that even though her parents didn't approve, this was the only family her and her family needed.

 **November 13th, 2016 (12 weeks along)**

"Have you thought of any names?" JJ asked Emily. The girls had planned a big sleepover the weekend before Emily would find out the gender of her baby.

"Nichole? If it's a girl of course. I don't know. How are you supposed to know if it's the right name?" Emily asked warily.

"You just know," Penelope assured her. "What about Elena May? Or Kimberly?"

"Either one of those could be pretty," JJ agreed. "What about Hannah Grace?"

"What if I'm having a boy?" Emily countered negatively. The whole idea was weighing on her. "It's hard because I can't name my baby after anybody I know and don't like, like Tobias or something, so there goes a lot of good names. And if I name my baby Britney or Selena, he or she will have that stigma her whole life. I just don't know."

"You'll know, Em. How about Dakota?"

"James?"

"What about Lauren?" JJ asked. Emily's eyes widened slightly as she thought about that name. It was so beautiful. She actually really liked it.

"Lauren... Lauren Renée?"

"Perfect!" Penelope squealed. "Now, about boy names..."

 **Lexie4MP: I love that idea but I've gotten so many requests for Garcia/Derek too so I had to go with that. Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you keep enjoying. :)**

 **Jenny crum: Thank you so much for continuing to review. Here is your update!**

 **Kensi jj: I'll try to make them longer. What kind of angst do you want, any suggestions/requests? Thank you so much for reviewing.**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	15. Chapter 15: Gender?

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(November 15th, 2015)**

Emily, Penelope, and JJ walked into the doctors office all with different demeanors. Emily was scared, JJ was trying to encourage Emily, and Penelope was beyond ecstatic to find out the gender of Emily's baby. She loved little kids. She was hoping for a girl. JJ and Penelope had taken a two dollar bet. Penelope: girl. JJ: boy.

Emily barely paid attention during the process. She answered all the question and then pulled up her shirt so the doctor could apply the cold blue gel to her stomach. She was so tired, she closed her eyes until Penelope started talking.

"What is it? Girl, right?" Penelope asked excitedly. She was almost giddy with excitement, jumping up and down in place.

"Which one?" The OB-GYN asked with a smile.

"What?" Emily choked out, eyes wide open now.

"Twins," the OB-GYN told her. "One boy, one girl. Both healthy enough, if not slightly underweight. Congratulations, Miss Prentiss."

Emily didn't know what to do. If she thought raising one kid was hard, how was she going to raise two? What about money? Babysitting?

"Oh my gosh, Emily, that's amazing," Penelope congratulated the black haired teen excitedly. Emily looked like she was going to throw up.

"Amazing? No, Pen, it's not. How am I supposed to raise two kids by myself?"

JJ didn't let Penelope answer her, she jumped in. "Hate to burst your ego, Miss Emily, but you aren't doing this on your own. You have us. Always."

Emily took a steadying breath. "Thanks," she whispered, her cheeks slightly red at being the center of attention.

"Always. You know that," Penelope hugged Emily tightly, careful of her belly. "I just love all these

touchy-feely moments."

All three girls started laughing at her. For once, Emily was able to relax a little. The pain and worrying would come later, late at night when she slept alone at whoever's house she could bum at as she looked for her own place, but not now. Now, she was able to suppress it and go through the motions with her friends. She felt fake. She buried her true emotions to save face. She couldn't think about that now.

Once back in the car, Penelope offered to take them out to eat. Emily happily agreed since she was starving, she was eating for three after all.

"Are you hungry, JJ?" Penelope asked. JJ watched as Penelope pulled into McDonald's. Nothing under a hundred calories there.

 _Disgusting..._ _Pig..._ _Fat..._ _Worthless..._ _Stupid..._

The insults swirled in her head, all true. If she didn't eat for long enough, if she lost enough weight maybe she could be good enough. Fit in, be pretty.

JJ shook her head, partly to answer Penelope and partly to shake out the terrible words she was thinking.

"I'll just get a water," JJ struggled to keep the shaking out of her voice. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder suddenly, but when she turned around no one was there. She pulled her knees to her chest nervously. She tried to focus on Emily and Penelope's conversation to keep _his_ voice out of her head.

 **A/n: I POSTED A PREQUEL TO THIS STORY CALLED COME AWAKE! PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!**

 **Kensi jj: I'll shall do that. And I've been planning a little twist there so look out, I think everyone will be very surprised but I'm excited. Thank you so much for your review and suggestions.**

 **Ahowell1993: I hope to write him in as much as possible. I try to give each character a few chapters focused on them. :) Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Jenny crum: I'm glad, thank you!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	16. Chapter 16: Me and You

**This Means War**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(November 22nd, 2015)**

JJ woke up exhausted. She couldn't sleep all night, and she woke up remembering it was the night of her date with Spencer. She had been stressing over it all week. He wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant in downtown Quantico, about fifteen minutes away walking distance. She loved walking anyway, even if Spencer had a car she would have wanted to walk and take in the beautiful night with him.

For most girls, that would be a dream date. Not for JJ, at least not all of it. She wasn't most girls. Fancy restaurants meant food and more food and calories that she couldn't afford. She worried about crowded bathrooms that she couldn't purge in after the meal. All she knew was that she had six and a half hours to figure it out. Spencer was going to come to her house at five, and it was currently ten thirty.

She put on a white cami under a sheer navy blue spaghetti-strap shirt. She had on underneath a push-up bra. She then slipped on a soft pair of black skinny jeans. She couldn't decide what to do for her makeup and hair, so she texted Penelope. Penelope was amazing with makeup. JJ knew if she wanted it, she would have a solid career as a beautician.

Penelope entered her house happily, chattering about how pretty she was going to make JJ look. She started out with a straightener used to add volume to JJ's bangs. Then Penelope spent over an hour and a half carefully curling all of her soft but very thick hair. By time she was done, it was only just after two o'clock.

JJ never did well with boredom. Or waiting in general. She paced, rethought her outfit a number of times, and sorted through a few of her good pairs of shoes. She finally decided on a pair of black open toed heels with two hours left.

Meanwhile, Spencer got dressed in a button up, vest, and a pair of his good jeans. He combed his hair back with gel before checking the clock which read in little red letters 4:38. He bounded down the stairs, not even saying goodbye to his father who remained silent in the rocking chair, a beer can in his hands. Spencer tried not to take stock of the two others laying on the floor. His mind turned instead to his beautiful girlfriend. Much safer topic there.

The walk to her house took mere minutes. He was knocking on her door by 4:50 before he was even mentally ready. When she came to the door, Spencer's breath was almost taken away by how beautiful she was.

"You look," Spencer searched for the right word to describe her beauty. "... Stunning."

JJ smiled shyly, not believing it but still blushing at the compliment. "Thanks. You look good too."

"Are you ready to go?" Spencer asked politely. She nodded nervously. This was her first date. And she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do.

 **A/n: Not much action here, but I wanted to get into Spencer and JJ's head and set the scene for their date. Hope you enjoyed. :) Requests are always welcome!**

 **Kensi jj: Thank you so much. I'll try.**

 **Jenny crum: That she will!**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	17. Chapter 17: Firsts

**Perfect Storm**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(November 22nd, 2015)**

 _"You look," Spencer searched for the right word to describe her beauty. "... Stunning."_

 _JJ smiled shyly, not believing it but still blushing at the compliment. "Thanks. You look good too."_

 _"Are you ready to go?" Spencer asked politely. She nodded nervously. This was her first date. And she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do._

 **—**

On their way to the restaurant it started to sprinkle. Cool, small drops of rain fell on her skin. Spencer offered JJ his jacket, but she refused. The rain felt refreshing on her skin. The atmosphere was electric around her, mood wise and from the lightning. It was perfect, and it helped calm her down.

Her hair was frizzy from the rain by time they arrived at Salsa's. They were seated by a waitress with black hair and lots of dark eyeliner and lipstick. JJ ordered a Sprite and the two looked through the menu in a comfortable silence.

"The chicken tacos look really tasty," Spencer commented casually.

"I was just thinking that," JJ responded. "Just no tomatoes. Bleck."

"You don't like tomatoes?"

"No." JJ scrunched up her nose. "Gross."

"I love them. I'll eat them by themselves with salt on them."

"Ew. You see, a fruit is suppose to be sweet. The fact that they at gross by themselves, and the idea of putting salt on a fruit is even worse."

"Do you have something against salt?"

"I don't add salt to anything."

"You don't know what you've been missing."

"Less calories that way."

"You could use to add a few."

JJ gave a fake laugh. "That's a joke."

"No it's not."

JJ didn't say anything back. The black-haired waitress was back to take their orders anyway. But she felt Spencer's glances on her the whole time.

After dinner Spencer walked her home. He looked nervous and she thought it was so cute. He hesitated at first, but right before she turned to open the door to her house he kissed her. It was a gentle goodnight kiss, but even her fingertips tingled.

"Goodnight, Beautiful," he smiled, leaving her with her head spinning. She tried to steady her quick breaths.

"G'Night, Spence," she whispered, but he couldn't hear her. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her jump.

Garcia had texted her **,**

 **"You better tell me everything. Everything! ❤️㈵6"**

Oh, boy. Did she ever have a story.

 **A/n: Next chapter things will pick up A LOT. I'll be skipping a few months. Sorry for the shortness. :(**

 **Ahowell1993: Well, it is Spencer. We shall see. Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Kensi jj: I'll do my best. I struggle a lot with Hotch and Rossi.**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


	18. Chapter 18: Strawberries

**Perfect Storm**

 **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Criminal Minds. (Though I do wish that I owned Reid.)**

 **Summary : **_Before they were all a team, they were just trying to fit in and survive high school. They've all got a story and a secret to hide. Can they survive high school and protect each other while keeping a smile on their faces? What happens when the secrets become life threatening? High school Major AU. (May be triggering, set in 2015 Quantico)_

 **(April 24th, 2016)**

"Strawberries. Mm. Yum," Emily whispered to herself, smiling a bit as she took a bite out of the strawberry in her hand.

Since her parents basically disowned her months ago, she has gotten an apartment just down the road from Garcia in the heart of Quantico's housing district. It was a small two-bedroom apartment, but she could afford it and she loved it.

She went to sit down when she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She realized she had felt them earlier too, not to long ago. She took a deep breath and dialed JJ's number. _It is just going to be false labor,_ she told herself.

Emily explained her predicament in a panicked voice, but JJ was calm. "How far apart are your contractions?"

"I don't know, I wasn't checking really. Like maybe ten or fifteen minutes apart."

"What time was this last one?" JJ asked.

"A few minutes ago, at about 10:40 or 10:42," Emily answered. "JJ, I'm not due for another six weeks. I can't have these babies now!"

"Keep track of when the next contraction is. I'll be there soon, okay? Calm down."

Emily tried to keep her breathing calm, but failed when another contraction hit at 10:52. She tried not to cry. She didn't have to try for too long by herself though, because JJ was at her door at eleven o'clock.

She found herself being helped into the car without even realizing it. She stopped when Penelope opened the door.

"My water broke," Emily could feel wetness running down her legs and her shorts.

"Get in the car," JJ commanded in a strained, but mostly collected voice. "Penelope, drive."

Emily looked down at her legs, confused until she saw it. The wetness covering her legs wasn't her water. It was blood.

Emily couldn't remember much after that. She remembered snippets of the doctors conversations, full of medical talk she didn't understand. But she picked up the words "premature labor". That's when everything hit that this was real.

She was rushed back into a room where she was told to push. These babies were coming _now._ She did, despite her exhaustion.

"She's fully dilated..."

"There's something wrong... Baby's not coming..."

"We need to get her prepped for a C-section..."

 _What?_ Emily wondered. _Please, let my babies be okay..._

The next thing she knew, she was wheeled away to another room and everything turned back.

 **—**

JJ has just hung up with Hotch when she saw Derek walking into the waiting room, followed by Spencer. She had just called them like ten minutes ago, she had no idea how they got there so fast. More than likely, she didn't want to know.

After Emily was rushed away, JJ and Penelope were told to go to the waiting room for her unit. After she collected herself, JJ called the rest of their friends. It had been an hour without any word on Emily or her babies.

"Rossi said he would be here in about twenty minutes," JJ informed the anxious group. They all took a seat, but JJ felt so anxious she couldn't sit still.

"How is she?" Derek asked.

"No idea, they won't tell us anything," Penelope complained.

Another hour of pacing, asking nurses about Emily, and calming down various people, a doctor finally came and called Emily's name.

"Is the father present?" Was the first thing he asked.

"He's not," JJ clarified respectively. "Are Emily and the babies okay?"

The doctor gave them all a sad look before opening his mouth to respond.

 _TBC..._

 **Jayjrat: I guess that is true. Thank you for reviewing!**

 **Elissa Mndz: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm not sure yet, or if I do I don't know who. Not right away though. Any ideas on who?**

 **Stay Gold lovelies,**

 **\- Alee XxX**


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